Torn Apart Mask
by Eisteufel
Summary: But it was a good thing they were there. These feelings. Any feelings. Somehow they were a nuisance but he dreaded the day when there would be nothing left of him but a torn apart mask. GrimmjowXIchigo
1. Annoying Emptiness

_Hello there and welcome to my little story :)_

_This is actually some kind of experiment... I'm really, really into Bleach right now, especially into Grimmjow… so, well let's see if I can get a grasp of his character and his quite yaoiesk interactions with a certain orange-haired Shinigami.^^_

_The actual plotline will at some points look rather familiar to you since it follows to some lengths the original plot (with several nice alteration/extension :))._

_**Disclaim:**__ I don't earn money with this story, all just for fun. I'll stay as broke as I am and all characters belong entirely to Tite Kubo._

_**Rating:**__ M - due to violence, language, lemon and so on and so forth. _

_** Yaoi: **You have been warned - Don't like it, don't read it!_

_**Genre:** Drama/Romance ... more or less (replace romance with lemon and we're getting closer). But they were the most fitting genres, concerning the options given... -.-"  
_

_That's all I guess. Except for hope you like it and feel free to review. Comments are candy :))  
_

_Regards, Eisteufel  
_

* * *

**Torn Apart Mask**

_**Chapter I**_

_**Annoying Emptiness**_

* * *

The white sand reflected the dim light of a crescent shaped moon which had slowly risen above the neverending dunes of Hueco Mundo. Half hiding behind thick shreds of dark clouds it illuminated a dead world with wretched and garbled inhabitants, although, there was no one of them to be seen. No wind, not the slightest sign of life, simply miles and miles of white.

It had always been that way.

Since he could remember nothing had ever really changed around him. _He_ had changed but apart from that nothing in this world seemed to be evolving. Hollows were eating their fellow Hollows in order to get more power, only to get eaten by even stronger ones in return. It was a circle, a never-ceasing repetition and simultaneously the only law this monochrome world ever had. The strong used the weak for their purposes – however named.

A new man was in charge now who had somehow managed to give some of the stronger Hollows their human bodies back, but Hueco Mundo still lied there unimpressed as if nothing had ever happened. Still the most distinctive feature Hueco Mundo could boast about was its sheer size of nothingness. Nothing but infinite emptiness as far as the eye could reach. Maybe that was the reason why he always felt like he was about to throw up as soon as he spotted the pale Arrancar with the in contrast to his way too white skin way too green eyes. This vile, omnipresent aura of emptiness and futility he oozed everywhere he went had always made him sick. This particularly sickening feeling, which got a hold on him while looking into those empty, green depths that seemed to yell that there _was _nothing to gain or to achieve in this vast land but endless despair. And maybe… maybe, _maybe_ that was the reason why he liked the eyes of a certain Shinigami so much in comparison.

They were the proof that he wasn't as empty as that damn bootlicker Ulquiorra who always did exactly what Aizen ordered him to do, no matter what he was actually thinking - one could almost come to the conclusion that he wasn't thinking on his own anymore at all.

And although the consequences of his actions were a pain in the ass, he still felt pretty happy that he wasn't such a mindless minion. As long as he could still feel this never ceasing anger flaming up inside his stomach whenever this hideous orange-haired pest stumbled its way into his field of vision clarified this fact once and for all. It had been a long, long time since he had felt such excitement and fury at the same time. Pretty good thing to know that his inside wasn't as hollow as his name suggested. Otherwise he wouldn't feel _that_ pissed off. And like hell, he was pissed to unknown limits! Unconsciously numb fingers had clenched around the stump of what till recently had been his left arm with such vengeance that he could feel blood seeking through the thick bandages again, dripping down his fingers.

"Shit… and it took hours to stop the damn bleeding", he hissed constrained through tightly clenched teeth while he looked down to the nothing where his arm used to be. Nothing left of it. Just a few drops of dark blood dripped on the balustrade of the balcony he was sitting upon.

Grimmjow took a deep breath when he ceased his musing and averted his gaze from the almost completely hidden moon. With a growling sigh he got onto his feet to finally let go off his bleeding arm stump. No, this wound wasn't the worst he had... immediately a sharp flash of pain shot through his upper body, the ugly scar running across his chest radiated a searing pain when his fingernails scraped over the red, scarred flesh.

Oh how he would pay that goddamn brat back for that!

A wild, boiling rage was consistently agglomerating in his stomach, smothering the maddening pain caused by the burnt flesh. His fingers traced the line of uneven skin from his collarbone to the hole in this abdomen for one last time. A few rays of weak light found their way onto his skin before they were swallowed by the clouds.

_Getsuga Tenshō, hu?_, he broke into a sneer when he watched the last light vanishing, engulfing Hueco Mundo in perfect darkness.

_A great name for such a weak attack… you're aeons away from slicing the moon in half, kid. Not to mention me! _

Yes it was about time to pay that little boaster a friendly visit. Lifting his index-finger in order to open a passage between Hueco Mundo and the World of the Living Grimmjow froze on the spot when he could suddenly hear a very well-known and_ very_ well-hated voice drawling behind his back:

"Where are you going, Grimmjow?"

The addressed one didn't need to turn around to know who was talking to him, there was no doubt who was the owner of that damn voice. Instead of an answer he simply shrugged his shoulders while he turned around deliberately slowly to face the person delaying his plans for tonight: Ulquiorra Cifer.

His intact arm buried deep inside the pocket of his wide, white hakama he passed his opposite, wordlessly glaring blue daggers into him. When there was one thing he hated even more than the fact that Ulquiorra did not seem to be affected by anything - be it in Hueco Mundo or the World of the Living - then it was the fact that this anaemic eyesore always appeared out of thin air in the least convenient situations. One could bet one's ass on it!

"I needed some time to think things through", he raised one of his thin, blue eyebrows while speaking in a raspy voice. "_Alone_. Is there something wrong about that?" his voice turned into nothing but a sharp hiss when he replied that stupid, inquisitorial question.

"That does not answer my question", Ulquiorra retorted unfazed, the green gaze attached to even the slightest movement of his counterpart whose lips split into a wide Cheshire cat grin in no time.

"Oh, it does not answer your question?" the smile became a little wider. "What a _pity_."

Within the blink of an eye Ulquiorra could feel a strong hand around his throat, intensifying its grasp around his neck further and further while dragging him several feet in the air in the process.

"My dear Ulquiorra", Grimmjow spit the words out like it was vermin while digging his fingernails into the white cloth of Ulquiorra's jacket. Lowering his face so that Ulquiorra had to feel his breath onto his features he whispered in a dangerously low tone:

"I don't have to vindicate every single of my actions. Neither to you, nor to anyone else. This is none of your business, _are we clear_?"

Green eyes simply stared back into deep blue ones, Grimmjows opposite did not even bat an eyelash when he glared into the face of the 6th Espada before he finally condescended to answer in his usual, languid manner:

"Maybe you should reconsider how your last _business_ ended…", the eyes that never seemed to blink wandered for a split second to the rusty red bandages covering the remains of an arm. "Actually I always thought that you were rather…", he seemed to ponder on the right words to describe the situation for a few seconds before he eventually appeared contented with his choice, "…_attached_ to your arm."

"Listen you-"

"And I would like you to let me down now if you don't want to lose the remaining one as well."

"Tss… nothing but an empty threat", Grimmjow snarled constrained when his fingers reluctantly let go off the other Espada's neck. No, he definitely would need this arm to get his revenge on that Shinigami and on the bastard who was responsible for his now rather one-handed actions.

"Grimmjow", the low voice of his comrade distracted him from his dark thought of vengeance. Narrowing his eyes to slots Ulquiorra was eyeing Grimmjow with a strange expression on his pale face. "You sacrificed your own Fracción and lost your left arm. That's a rather high price you paid for such a meaningless thing like hurt pride."

"It's not about my-"

"Call it your obsession then, if that suits you better but the meaning stays the same", Ulquiorra simply shrugged his small shoulders while cutting Grimmjow off. The white coat-tails of his jacket swayed in the air when he turned on his heel, walking towards the doorway at a leisurely pace.

"Don't get carried away", he added without looking back at Grimmjow who was eagerly trying to invent a possibility to stab people's backs with glares. "I recommend to you not to search for that boy again unless Aizen explicitly orders you to."

Grimmjow simply gritted his teeth until his jaw ached to bit back the fervently upcoming desire to simply sink his fangs into that unhealthy looking skin and tear the flesh from the bone.

Like hell he would listen to that advice! He would return to the World of the Living and beat the living daylight out of that orange-haired Shinigami who was responsible for this whole crap of a situation in the first place! Although, Grimmjow did not know if he should feel grateful for the allegedly long lost feelings the reaper had awakened inside of him or if he should simply crash his goddamn head against the next best wall, slice open his torso and watch with satisfaction how his guts dash onto the ground in a puddle of blood instead – he still wasn't sure to which reactions his feelings corresponded to...

* * *

_So much for now, Ichigo will have his moments in the spotlight from the next chapters onwards. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter and stay tuned for the next ones (which are coming soon). ^^ And to all Ulquiorra-Fans: Although it does not seem that way I really like him :)  
_


	2. Encounters in the Dark

_Hello there everyone - without further ado the new chapter :)_

_Regards, Eisteufel_

* * *

_**Chapter II**_

_**Encounters in the Dark**_

* * *

"Ichi-nii? Ichi-nii? Dinner is-"

"Get out of the way, Yuzu."

"But dad, I-"

"Ichigo! Ichigo, my only son, I order you to get out of that room, move your little ass downwards and eat the dinner your younger sister has cooked for you with _looo~ts_ of love!"

Silence. Said only son of Kurosaki Isshin obviously did not care in the slightest for what his old man was demanding.

"ICHIGO! Get your ass moving NOW!"

Two strong fists were drumming against the wooden door with such steadily increasing intensity that the hinges ached and squeaked rather pitifully. Right at the moment when another cascade of violent hits and kicks was about to get down on the poor door it opened. Slowly, almost carefully an orange head of hair peeked through the opening – blinking against the bright light illuminating the corridor.

"I am not hungry", Ichigo mumbled tonelessly when he finally left his room for the first time within two days and closed the door behind him. "I'm sorry Yuzu", he added meekly when he could see the eyes of his little sister getting bigger, slowly but surely filling with tears.

"But-"

"I'm sorry you two but I'll need some fresh air… don't wait for me, it'll probably getting late", he tried his best to cut off any further discussion or temper tantrums and hurried down the staircase. The loud shouting of his father behind his back and the timid voice of Yuzu accompanied every single of his steps before he finally managed to get outside and run. He did not bother to close the door behind him, he knew they would all stand there - dad, Yuzu and Karin- gazing after him until he had been completely swallowed by the night. He was worrying them. He knew so damn well he was worrying them to death but he could not help it right now. He needed to go outside, see something else but his little room whose walls he had stared at for the last two days straight. The dark, violet circles which were engraved under his tired eyes were the proof for his hour-long stare-competition with the ingrain wallpaper.

He knew all three of them were wondering… where did the horrible bruises came from? Why was he behaving so strangely lately? Why did he stay up in his room for two whole days without talking to anyone?

"Ichi-nii… ICHI-NII!"

The desperate screaming of Yuzu almost made him stop on the spot and turn around but… no, he had licked his wounds long enough up there…

_You are a damn excuse for a big brother… and disgustingly pathetic, _he scolded himself and bit back something that felt dangerously close to tears but he hoped it simply was an illusion. The overall stress, that was all…

No, he would definitely not burst out into tears right now. Tears never resolved anything and tears had never helped anyone. Blinking quickly he finally felt how the burning feeling behind his lids ceased. Burying his hands deep inside of his pockets he began to stroll through the darkness, he did not even pay the slightest attention to where his feet were actually taking him. He was way too entangled into his thoughts which were just as dark and gloomy as the night surrounding him. The thoughts which never vanished throughout the past two days – and they all, completely and entirely, turned around nothing else but a certain blue-haired Espada with the number six tattooed onto his back. There were some things he simply could not comprehend so far…

_He received a direct hit from Getsuga Tenshō…_ Ichigo brooded over his first encounter with the sixth Espada about three days ago.

_A direct hit! Byakuya was barely standing when I used that technique on him and he… it's… it's like I grazed his skin with a blunt knitting needle… a little blood here and there but apart from that he was as hale and hearty as one could possibly be… Tss… and as if matters aren't worse enough already he obviously has the burning desire to show everyone how nicely build and muscular his goddamn chest is… damn that bastard!  
_

Ichigo was shaking his head in pure disbelief until his neck ached.

How could that be? He knew that these Arrancars and their special elite the Espadas where powerful and dangerous. But _that_ powerful? He hated to admit the fact to himself but obviously he had no choice left: he needed to find Shinji and learn how to deal with that hideous beast dwelling inside him. If Shinji had managed to control his inner Hollow, then there actually _was_ a possibility to do so. There was a method he could learn… since he had no idea how one could subdue such an entity that was not only part of your own power, but somehow part of your whole self…

_Huh… what's that sound?_

The wind playing with the chains of a swing, pushing it slightly back and forth, gave him a start. He had arrived at the playground in the park without even noticing…

_Why not… there are worse places to think about the fact that your whole life is about to fall spectacularly into pieces…_

Sighing deeply Ichigo wrapped his jacket tighter around his shoulders and headed for the swing with faltering steps. The chains made a strident squeaking sound and the plastic of the seat was painfully cutting into his thighs but he did not care when he pushed himself off the ground, quickly increasing speed and height.

_It's actually pretty relaxing... _

The dark world around him flashed by like a shadow, the mild wind was ruffling his hair and rustled in the trees, the traffic was nothing more but a dull noise somewhere in the distance.

_Just let your thoughts flow, Ichigo, just let them go… relax and calm down… relax and calm down… relax and calm-_

"Oya, Shinigami!"

It felt like a hundred-thousand volt lightning had suddenly hit his body and paralyzed all of his muscles. His brain worked at high-speed but his body had a severe power-failure right now.

Completely taken off guard and with a startled yelp on his lips Ichigo fell out of the swing at full speed and flopped head first onto the sandy ground beneath the framework, swallowing a nice amount of dust in the process.

_That voice… that goddamn voice… stand up, Ichigo! By all means, get onto your feet!_

But the strange feeling that he was some kind of puppet whose strings had been cut kept on. It felt like his bones were about to break and every fibre of muscle about to tear apart when he forced his body to finally get up and turn around to face the owner of that goddamn voice.

Ice-blue hair dimly reflected the pale light of a thin moon that had fought its way through the milky clouds. Holding his left shoulder with his right hand he was standing on top of a nearby building, condescendingly looking down at him from above like an avenging angel - thereby giving him a very nice view of a muscular, bare chest. Cold, azure eyes were glaring mercilessly at him – he never knew he could ever feel that small and vulnerable.

_Fuck! Not now… not in this condition… not now… _the thoughts rushed through his head like an express train.

Numb fingers were frantically searching in his pockets for his substitute reaper's badge… were the hell did he put it?

_No, no, no, NO! Don't tell me I lost it when-_

"Quit that damn fiddling in your pockets, Shinigami, it fucking ticks me off!" Grimmjow Jaeggerjaquez snapped before he stepped over the edge of the building. The empty sleeve of his jacket swayed behind him like a white flag before he suddenly vanished. Within split seconds Ichigo could feel the cold blade of a deathly sharp katana pressed against his throat.

_Sonido!_

He sensed the chill the metal radiated, realized the slight reflection of the moon and the stars on its polished blade and saw the malevolent sneer written all over the face of the man who held him captured.

"My, my Shingami…", he chuckled, when he slightly shifted the angle of his sword against his enemie's throat.

"I really beat you up good last time...", he quickly eyed Ichigo from head to toe with a satisfied expression on his face like he was admiring his own work. "Really, when you are not wearing that Shingami uniform you look more than ever like nothing but a frightened, little kid", he sighed and to Ichigo's immense surprise he sheathed his katana.

_What the hell…_

"Don't give me that surprised look, kid!" Grimmjow growled unnerved. "I couldn't wait to return to the World of the Living to beat the crap out of you for real this time but you look like hell… who would want to fight someone even a little girl could sweep the floor with?"

"Ts…", Ichigo hissed through tightly clenched teeth, only barely keeping his temper. "You look pretty fucked up too. What the hell has happened to your arm?"

Grimmjow smiled the evil little smile that always said that someone was on the verge of death.

"Oh _how sweet_, are you worried about me?" he whispered, every single word dripping with spite.

He was now so close that Ichigo could feel his hot breath sweeping over his overheated skin.

"Now listen to me carefully,_ Shinigami_", he hissed in such a low voice that every single word seemed to vibrate on Ichigo's skin, making his flesh crawl. Especially the last word which Grimmjow always used like it was the worst possible insult one could image for a person, sent cold shivers down his spine.

"I'll give you a good advice", Grimmjow continued to speak down to him. "Just this once I'll give you an advantage because you look so damn sorry for yourself, kid."

Involuntarily Ichigo flinched as one strand of light blue hair brushed against his cheek when Grimmjow leaned in a little closer, uttering the last few words almost inaudibly:

"Prepare yourself to die tomorrow", his deep baritone was nothing more but a guttural growl in Ichigo's ear.

"I wonder who'll die", the Shinigami retorted constrained, feeling extremely uncomfortable at the unusual contact.

"Don't push your luck, Shinigami or I'd might change my mind and slay you right here."

"You goddamn-", only with sheer willpower Ichigo managed to bit back an anguished cry of pain, when razorblade like fingernails were digging themselves deep into the already bruised flesh of his left shoulder. Grimmjow seemed satisfied with his work, watching how he could make that damn brat wince and flinch under his hands brought a venomous Cheshire cat grin onto his features.

Warm sticky blood was running down Ichigo's shoulder and left side of his torso, he could feel every single of the claws drilling into his flesh. With a sudden brutal movement he got tossed away with such strength, that he barely made it to break the fall. With one sluggish movement of his finger Grimmjow was about to open a Garganta.

"Oh and by the way", the dark voice of Grimmjow echoed over the playground when the passage started to close behind him. "Get those bruises treated! They look rather nasty."

* * *

_^^ yeah I decisively shortened the period of time Ichigo would need to master his inner Hollow… but well, I think Ichigo would have been able to master his inner Hollow and control his mask within a day if it had been really, really necessary… ;) So please excuse the artistic license I used here ^.^ Well, otherwise I hope you liked it._


	3. Under my Skin

_Have fun reading :D _

_Regards, Eisteufel  
_

* * *

_**Chapter III**_

_**Under my Skin**_

* * *

"Oh my… look what the cat dragged in!"

The blonde haired ex-Shinigami with the wide smile that revealed way too many teeth sneered mischievously, making him more than ever look like an oversized Cheshire cat with a terrible taste in clothing. With his hands buried deep inside of the pockets of his grey jacket he was standing on top of a rusty, very unstable appearing balustrade and smiled this typical, unreadable smile of his while he was looking down at the person who had just entered the run down, decrepit warehouse which he and his lot had chosen as their hideout.

However, right now he was the only living person there, except for the young intruder he was watching eagle-eyed with steadily rising interest.

"I knew you would come sooner or later. It was just a matter of time", he added in a soft, supposed to be understanding tone while he shrugged his slender shoulders.

"Believe me", a low voice from below reached his ears that sounded anything but delighted, it was nothing more but a constrained hiss through tightly clenched teeth.

"I would not have come if I could have avoided it."

Devensively crossing his arms in front of his broad chest Ichigo leaned against one of the metal columns that kept up the obviously leaking roof. In addition to the wide but hopelessly dirtied windows gaping behind Hirako Shinji, which revealed a starless night, there were some spots of silvery light on the ground, where blurry moonlight had found its way through the holes in the ceiling. Pouring a pale light inside, it was drawing deep shadows onto the concerned features of the young Shinigami with the orange hair.

A small, fine chuckle was all that could be heard from Shinji before he jumped down the balustrade, effortlessly alighting onto the ground right in front of the startled youth.

"Sure, sure", he giggled slightly. "But you have no other options left, ain't I'm right?"

The grin he was displaying by uttering these words gave Ichigo the creeps. He could literally _feel_ that grin being radiated onto his skin, biting into his flesh like it was acid. Hell no, it was anything but reassuring.

Shinji did not seem to realize how his smile was affecting his opposite. Straightening his body, he lazily stretched his limbs like an old cat before he crossed his arms behind his head, looking at Ichigo in a strange mixture of benevolence and suspicion.

"How did you find me, anyway?" he stated in a mocking tone, staring into the dark corner where only some pale contours of an anxious face revealed the presence of another person. "Your capability of sensing reiatsu isn't the best - to say the least." Obviously he bit back a giggle.

"Even _my_ lowly skills were sufficient enough to find your badly hidden reiatsu", Ichigo snapped sorely while stepping out of the shadows in order to defend himself. But there was nothing but that ever present smile again that seemed to be plastered onto the other's face permanently.

"I wonder… maybe I wanted to be found by you?" the Visored was lifting one of his thin eyebrows in shammed surprise before he sighed slightly. "But well… so you actually want to join us."

"No, definitely not", Ichigo retorted quick like a shot although it hadn't even been a question he was answering to.

"No, definitely not?" Shinji aped, drawing his fingers around his mouth's corners like he was deeply lost in thoughts. "If you don't want to join us, what else might you expect to find here?" he tipped his index finger against his chin several times while tilting his head aside. "I wonder, I wonder…"

Slowly but surely Ichigo was losing his temper with this strange and extremely annoying man. Was he acting like a complete idiot on purpose?

"I want to learn how to control this…this… _thing_."

"Hollow. It is a Hollow, that _thing_", Ichigo's counterfeit simply stated the more than obvious but it was enough to make Ichigo clench his fist so tightly his knuckles became white and rigid.

_Hollow…_

"Call it by its name, what purpose lies in the denial of its actual nature? Even if you try to invent another name for it, it will never change the fact that it is a Hollow. Deal with it", Shinji continued while he began to slowly draw concentric circles around the Shinigami, still tipping his finger against his chin. Clenching his trembling fist even tighter Ichigo desperately bit back the desire to punch that ever present, mocking smile right out of Shinji's face. Taking a deep breath he continued with his request instead:

"I want you to teach me how to control that _Hollow_ inside of me."

"Oh?"

"Until tomorrow."

Although the inside of the old ware-house was only dimly lit by the weak, grey rays of moonlight, Ichigo could perectly see how yellowish-grey eyes narrowed, blonde eyebrows knitted until they formed an expression of sheer disbelief.

"Are you just insane or did you receive serious brain damage when you fought these Arrancars a few days ago?" the blonde man hissed dangerously low, looking at Ichigo like he was a full-blown lunatic.

"I have to learn it until tomorrow."

He did his best to ignore that gaze that was glaring dagger at him with stoic composure. "I just have to!"

"It won't work."

"But... isn't there-"

"I just told you", Shinji cut off Ichigo's desperate approach with a harsh movement of his arm.

"And I hate to repeat myself: it won't work. One week would be madness, but one night? You've entirely lost it, my dear. Either that or you have absolutely no idea what it takes to control the demon dwelling inside you."

_So it really _is_ definite…there is no way to defeat _him_…_

Within split-seconds all life seemed to be drained out of the young Shinigami. From one moment to another he appeared like a pupped whose strings had been violently cut and whose limbs were now dangling purposelessly next to his slack body. So it really was a hopeless endeavour after all… involuntarily he shuddered when he thought about that voice inside of his head that sounded so very much like his own yet terribly distorted. A perversion of that familiar sound. Every single word was vicious. Right now he feared nothing more but the day when there would be nothing left of him but this twisted, distorted copy of himself bursting out in gales of manic laughter.

"May I ask you a question, Kurosaki?"

The languid voice of his fellow suddenly brought him back from his dark thoughts. A slow nod of his head was all Ichigo could manage as an answer – he received a short sneer, again revealing way too many teeth in reply. Leaning forwards so that his nose almost touched the tip of Ichigo's he murmured only one single word:

"Why?"

Completely taken aback Ichigo did nothing but bat his eyelashes in silent confusion.

"Why what?"

"God dear!"

Rolling his eyes and lifting his hands above his head in an over-dramatized gesture as if he wanted the gods to answer his prayers Shinji heaved a loud groan.

"You really _did_ lose your brain when you fought that blue-haired Arrancar, didn't you?" he complained in a way too high-pitched voice. Lowering his arms he continued to glare at Ichigo as if he wanted to kill him with his gaze.

Involuntarily Ichigo flinched by the mention of the sixth Espada. Somehow, and hell knew, he could not even explain to himself in a plausible way why he felt that strange sting inside if his chest whenever he heard or thought about that bastard. He had to be jinxed! As if he hadn't enough problems with his own personal Hollow already, another one simply popped out of nowhere into his life with the irrevocable intention to make his life a living hell… splendid! Simply splendid!

"Why do you want to control your inner hollow so badly, Kurosaki?" Shinji asked his question anew, crossing his arms in front of his chest, eying Ichigo suspiciously from head to toe. "Why now? Why this sudden urgency? The last time I spoke to you, you didn't seem to be in such a haste."

"Because…", the addressed one was desperately fighting to find the right words but every time he seemed to have found them, they slipped through his fingers like very fine sand.

"Because?" his opposite required further, leaning forwards and closing in the distance between them to an even more uncomfortable intimacy.

"Because…"

_Goddamn it Ichigo, find the right words to explain it or you'll stand here like a complete idiot!_, he scolded himself when he realized with rather unease that his private space bubble had popped about five centimetres ago. Swallowing hard to clear his sandpaper-dry throat from the nasty feeling that someone had plunged a lump of steel-wool inside of it, he braced himself.

"It's because there is someone I have to defeat", he finally replied in a low but steady voice.

The reaction he received was uninterpretable.

Blinking a few times in surprise the blond man drew back from his counterfeit, still looking rather confused.

"Is that so?"

Running his fingers through his short blonde strands he continued eyeing Ichigo out of his eye's corner.

"That blue-haired Arrancar, right?"

Again nothing but a silent nod.

Damn it, there was this painful sting again. Why, oh why did it always and everywhere had to come back to that goddamn bastard with the blue hair in the end? And why could he just not get rid of the image of this ice-blue eyes staring at him like they wanted to tear his entire being into pieces just by looking at him? Oh dear lord, why?

"Mhh…"

Absentmindedly Shinji started to curve his finger around his mouth's corners again. "You're really determined, aren't you?"

The question was nothing but a toneless whisper.

"Be assured, that won't be an easy task…" Shinji continued mumbling before Ichigo could form any kind of answer but his heard made a skip when he heard him talking.

"Actually it's going to be _rather nasty_ and I neither can't nor won't guarantee for anything."

He lowered his gaze until his yellow eyes pinned Ichigo at the wall behind him.

"Not for your success, not for your safety and especially not for your life. This is going to be living hell just so you know– that are the conditions. It will be a pain in the arse and most likely entirely in vain. I won't take responsibility for anything. Are we clear?"

Hectically Ichigo forced his head to move up and downwars.

"Crystal clear."

"My, my", thin fingers ran through a strand of hair for a last time when he turned his back to Ichigo, heading for the darker part of the warehouse which was not illuminated by the few rays of bleared moonlight. Heading for something that vaguely resembled a door he addressed one last question to Ichigo, without looking back at him for a second time:

"He really got under your skin, didn't he?"

Ichigo didn't answer. Silently he watched how Shinji opened the door and gave him a small sign to follow. With faltering steps Ichigo headed for the doorway, the thoughts rushed through his head like a neverending train.

Yes… maybe it was true… without wanting it… without really realizing it…

_He really got under my skin. _

* * *

"Back already?"

The cold, composed voice that welcomed him as soon as the Garganta had closed behind his back gave him a start but he did well in hiding it. A wicked sneer flashed over his face.

"As you can see", he snarled and turned around to face his personal gadfly which was now requiring in the same monotone voice as ever where his fellow Espada might have been.

"A little midnight-stroll through the World of the Living, pondering on who I would like to kill next." Within seconds the sneer widened into a full-blown slasher-smile that would have scared away even the boldest numéros, but not Ulquiorra.

"Don't lie to me, Grimmjow", the eyes of the pale Arrancar narrowed until there was nothing left of them but two emerald slits glistening dangerously in the darkness.

"I_ know_ where you have been… you were looking for that orange-haired Shinigami again, weren't you?"

Grimmjow simply shrugged his shoulders, his remaining hand deeply buried inside of the pocket of his Hakama as it was a habit of him. The smile still engraved onto his features.

"Who knows", Grimmjow snickered when he passed the other Espada in order to enter Las Noches. He did not even bother to take a second look at him. Ulquiorra could not prove where he had been and in fact he did not lie at all. Maybe except for the fact that he needn't ponder on who he would kill next. He knew already.

"You should get some rest, we have orders to enter the World of the Living tomorrow", Ulquiorra continued but Grimmjow already had turned his back on him, heading for the inside of Las Noches. One could have come to the conclusion that he didn't bother listening to the 4th Espada at all, but on the contrary… he had listened to him. _Very well._

Tomorrow… how _very_ convenient.

He could barely contempt his excitement, his fist was itching and longing for the hilt of his sword.

_Oh believe me, little Shinigami, I simply can't wait – I really hope you're dying to fight me. _

* * *

_^^ I'm not thaaaat satisfied with this chapter but well... finally, finally the real story will start with the next chapter and uuuh yes I smell some lemon :D So stay tuned and I hope to read from you^^_


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